Modern Coffee Table
Detailed digital plans for building a classic coffee table. If you love clean lines and the subtle beauty of handcrafted mid-century furniture, you'll enjoy building your own Modern Coffee Table. And it's easier than you think with this digital plan from Fine Woodworking magazine.
Inspired by mid-century Danish modern. Designed by furniture maker Jacques Breau, this sleek coffee table features graceful details like a floating top and pencil-roll edge - elements duplicated from some of his favorite modern pieces. To create flowing lines and natural movement, he angled the legs with a little flare at the bottom, working in yet another mid-century hallmark.
Timeless elegance that doesn't overpower. The base is constructed of rift-sawn solid black walnut, creating a streamlined look with consistent straight grain. The tabletop is 3/4-in.-thick black walnut plywood with a pencil-roll edge of matching walnut for understated, but decidedly sophisticated styling.
Super-strong, angled joinery. To create the strongest possible table base, the legs are joined to the aprons with two slip tenons, doubling the glue surface for significant added strength. According to Jacques Breau, this table is so strong he "could sit on it."
Build a stylish piece that stands the test of time. Working on this project, you will learn more about mid-century design and enjoy the satisfaction of creating a table of ageless beauty.
SKILL LEVEL:
Intermediate
FINISHED SIZE:
18 in. wide by 53 in. long by 15 3/4 in. tall
DIGITAL PLAN INCLUDES:
- Scale drawings
- Detailed cutlist
- SketchUp drawing
REQUIREMENTS
Google SketchUp (free download available here)
SELECT YOUR PLAN PACKAGE
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Similar Woodsmith Plans
Imperial Plans
The United States Customary System of Units (USCS or USC), more commonly referred to as the English or Imperial system, is the standard set of units for our plans. It uses inches and feet for measurement. This is the one you probably want if you are in the United States, and it is the one we have traditionally offered on this website.
Metric Plans
The International System of Units (SI), more commonly referred to as the metric system, is the alternative set of units that we have available for some of our plans. It uses millimeters, centimeters, and meters for measurement. This is the one you probably want if you are outside the United States. These plans are provided by our business partner, Australian Woodsmith, and are based on the original Woodsmith plan. However, dimensions and other elements of the plan may vary between the metric and standard versions. Be sure to double-check the plan before building.
Premium Plans
All of the information that you need to build our plans can be found in the standard plan. However, if you want even more granular detail to make your job easier, you should consider our premium plans. These come with additional shop diagrams that we drew when creating the prototypes. Shop drawings are not available for every plan.